Caveat - I am not a "gear" guy. It's just my 2 cents. Speaking of 2 cents - you have not mentioned what price range you're considering. And one more caveat, we're going to move this thread to the gear forum where the real gear gurus can have a shot at this.

These days there isn't much difference in bottom line performance between binding makers. Basically, you've got the integrated models that make it easier to mount. You've already chosen a non-integrated ski, so that's not a factor. Higher end models have higher DIN settings and weight limits, but any adult model will support a sane DIN setting for you (<10) and a decent weight cushion (<250 lbs). These days it's hard to find a binding that isn't easy to use, durable and reliable. The name brands all have fancy features in their top end models ($300+ range) that sure sound important, but if you want to save money the low end "intermediate" ($150+ range) models can get the job done for you just fine. At your level, you'll have a hard time telling the difference in performance.

A few things you might want to check out are the brake width, the ramp angle/stand height and the weight. Different binding lines tend to have different ramp angles and stand heights - this can mess up your fore/aft balance. I see now you can park bindings with a flat ramp angle. Woo - that would spice things up in the trees! You may want to augment a low stand height binding by adding a plate underneath or you may want a lower stand height. The Prophet 90 has a 90mm width under foot. You want to make sure the bindings you get will have brakes that are wide enough (e.g. the standard Marker width is 90 - but they have freeride wide widths available, the standard "wide" Tyrolia width is 97). If you're buying from a shop, they will make sure to fit the right size brakes onto your binding. If you're buying a box, know what brake size is in it. Fancy bindings tend to be heavier. If that's a concern you might want to look at a low weight model.

Some manufacturer web sites are more informative than others. Trying to make heads or tails out of this stuff can be bewildering. You may want to just ask a knowledgeable ski shop instead. Or you just might go with whatever is a "good" binding that you can get a good deal on.

my concern is that my boot is 30cm/11.8 inches. If I get a binding with a max DIN of 12, as most bindings seem to be, will 'maxing out' the binding have any effect on its performance? I was going to buy some Griffons but the DIN stopped me. I was also considering Jesters but I think that would be too light and park-like for my skiing needs. That said I'm leaning toward Dynastar PX 14 XXL based on price, material and all-around accessibility.

I would suggest a beefier higher end binding vs. just one that goes to 10 or 12.

I thought so and am glad I know now.

Jesters seem to be the way to go with these skis but I'm a bit apprehensive about their light weight. It's probably something that I wouldn't even notice but the main thing I'm looking is stability, a solid hold and proper release, a binding that won't release too early. This happened to me once and resulted in a broken wrist breaking my fall. Those reasons are why I've been thinking about the PX 14 but if the Jesters are just as good if not better than perhaps thats the way to go. I think another reason for apprehension is that they seem so park oriented whereas I need a predominately all-mountain binding.

I would suggest a beefier higher end binding vs. just one that goes to 10 or 12.

I thought so and am glad I know now.

Jesters seem to be the way to go with these skis but I'm a bit apprehensive about their light weight. It's probably something that I wouldn't even notice but the main thing I'm looking is stability, a solid hold and proper release, a binding that won't release too early. This happened to me once and resulted in a broken wrist breaking my fall. Those reasons are why I've been thinking about the PX 14 but if the Jesters are just as good if not better than perhaps thats the way to go. I think another reason for apprehension is that they seem so park oriented whereas I need a predominately all-mountain binding.

Some would think of your Prophet as a "twin-tip park ski"oriented too ;) . No need to put limits on a binding. Personally, I have been happy with the performance of my Jesters, note too that is is the binding system on the Volkl AC50/Aroura/Grizzly and some Blizzards for next year. The Look PX is a killer binding..I chose to go a lighter weight w/o the sacrifice in performance.